ELECTION 2008: Web 2.0 Part II (alpha)

It's official: The ruling coalition party that secured the biggest win/mandate in Malaysia election history just four year ago had just been given the smallest win/mandate today after the "new" Malaysians went to polls on Saturday, 8 MAR 2008 -- One could say that was the biggest setback for BN in Malaysia's modern history too. Politically, Pak Lah had certainly set up his biggest legacy - being the leader of this 'winning' party during both extremes, back-to-back!

Believe it or not too, Web 2.0 could have made this very big difference a reality. Of course, we'd need to investigate more to verify such statement which I'm sure many are already working towards it, and I'd think that I'd been doing that as well, time-permitting...

For now, let's just enjoy a quickie laugh (you'd only understand most of the jokes if you're Malaysia though...) reminiscing the few intense few weeks:

Election-attack for Malaysian sites..

Welcome to the Web 2.0 age for Malaysia!

Never before have so many small-run sites especially Malaysia-based ones braced so many hits within a few hours, as much as during the few short hours after Malaysia Election 2008 closed this afternoon around 5pm at most of the voting venues... Disappointed by slow reporting and less interactivity on TV (e.g. "official" reports via RTM TV1, government-owned major TV broadcaster, was so boring, with poor analyst commenting on results), folks in Malaysia and from everywhere watching the election results are flocking to websites reporting both opinionated and plain bits -- looks like Anwar, a major personality in Malaysia's political scene, also seconded this: "My concern now is why is there a deliberate delay on the part of the government-controlled media in announcing the results..." (AFP) -- I suppose RTM/ruling government is doing its part to calm people down and prevent any untoward incidents like the rumored possible riot etc. (We don't want another '69, do we?)

When sites from mainstream media companies like Bernama fails to load swiftly, thanks to dynamic and up-to-date search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN Live, Malaysians get "routed" to many sites including independent ones run by bloggers like Kedah-born Jeff Ooi (a constestant himself having just won his first seat under an opposition party ticket in Jelutong, Penang -- although is mostly based in Subang Jaya/USJ), Chan Lilian (a Penang-based blogger), TV Smith, Ahiruddin Attan (Rocky's Bru), and other politicians like Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Dato Lim Kit Siang, Tony Pua, Teresa Kok etc.

Popular sites like MalaysiaKini.com and Jeff Ooi's Screenshot were hit hard making them mostly unavailable, and Chan Lilian (self-called "5xmom")'s blog had a post by evening time asking people not to reload her site too often or the server will break until that actually happens by around midnight:



MalaysiaKini.com on the other had to strip down its site to a small-sized front page, and set up serveral mirror pages elsewhere, while it braces for frequent downtimes due to the massive surge of traffic.

Jeff Ooi's site is also experiencing almost zero reachability amids his major victory in the election.

Among the many sites I checked out for Election results, TVsmith's dedicated resource page at http://www.mycen.com.my/malaysia/election2008.html happens to be one of the most handy.

The Star Online, the most popular news site in Malaysia which is run by the most popular English-language print newspaper, bracing the big rush for Election news opted for a much stripped down version of default home page to ensure better availability. Compare the two versions below (traditional site layout on the right, but still linked from the stripped down homepage):












It's good to know however that my normally troubling Intenet connectivity keeps its "coolness" this time... ;)

Benazir Bhutto: 1953-2007

The entire world is shocked again, this time, two days after X'mas celebrations by Christians and the larger part of the Western world, or a day after "Boxing Day" (which many of us remembered sadly as the day a tsunami perished lives of 200,000 people in South Asia just three years ago).

This time, dozens of people were killed in another sickening chaos and terror act of a few, in an attack that also took the life of a prominent political figure of Pakistan whose name is synonymous to Women in Power and Courage (Under Fire). She knew it very well that she put her own life and the lives of many others at stake by returning to Pakistan, but for her, it's something that has to be done, and returned to the homeland she did two months ago after eight years living in exile. Immediately, there was an attempt on her life during her homecoming parade killing 140 people, but she managed to narrowly escaped uninjured.

Today, when most part of the world are welcoming better progress for Pakistan as the nation nears its election time, another attack was reported, first on how Bhutto again might have escaped uninjured just two hours ago, but an hour later on he she was confirmedly killed at the age of 54 either before or during the explosion by a suicide bomber. It's the news of the hour and the day, with new report sposted in news media all over the world, by the dozens every minute, accumulating 1000 online news posts by 11pm (MYT - about two hour after the attack) and adding another 500 in the next 30 minutes, half of which are duplicates.

It's a shocking, and sad day for Pakistan, and for peace-loving people all over the world! A hearty condolence to the families and friends of Benazir Bhutto and the people of Pakistan... May Pakistan sees its peaceful days and years soon.

Bhutto's LAST WAVE:

Women-lead ICT based enterprises?

Some questions on this topic were raised by Lena Zúniga, a blogger for the upcoming Global Knowledge Partnership 2007 event that is to be hosted in Kuala Lumpur later this year:-

1. Are (there) micro, small and medium enterprises economic models that actually translate into benefits to local communities? What are the conditions for entrepreneurial initiatives to spread their benefits?
   
   
2. Self employment does not eliminate the fact that most women work double shifts and take most of the load of domestic work and family responsibilities. How do we address this and other challenges of women entrepreneurs in developing countries?
   
   
3. What capacities are needed to strengthen women lead medium, small and even microenterprises, and what strategies have proved successful to deliver these capacities?
   
   
4. Are there experiences in public policy, government support and international cooperation for the support of this specific sector?

Feel free to submit your opinions on these questions. For feedbacks accumulated so far, refer GKP forum website at GK3onlineinteractions.net.

You may also subscribe to the GKP moderated email group/mailing list to participate in the on-going and future discussions.

Live Earth 7-Point Pledge on 7/7/07

THE LIGHTS GO OUT ON LIVE EARTH LONDON BUT THE BEAT GOES ON IN RIO DE JANEIRO AND NEW YORK

Live Earth Global Concerts Have Reached More Than 10 Million Visitors Online at MSN – Most Simultaneous Viewers of Any Online Concert Ever

London (July 7, 2007) – The London leg of 24-hour, 7-continent Live Earth concert series closed in emphatic fashion tonight with a rousing speech from actor, Terence Stamp and a stirring closing set from pop icon, Madonna that included “Hey You” – the song she created for Live Earth – “Ray of Light,” “La Isla Bonita” and “Hung Up”.

The crowd of 65,000 people at Wembley Stadium – and the millions watching worldwide – were treated to an all-star line-up that also included Razorlight, Snow Patrol, Black Eyed Peas, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Beastie Boys, Pussycat Dolls, James Blunt, Genesis, Damien Rice, David Gray, Kasabian, Paolo Nutini, John Legend, Duran Duran, Bloc Party, Corinne Bailey Rae, Terra Naomi, Keane, Foo Fighters and Spinal Tap.

At the last count, the Live Earth global concerts had reached more than 10 million visitors online – the most simultaneous viewers of any online concert — and inspired change in viewers worldwide.

“The climate crisis requires a global solution. Live Earth is using an unprecedented media architecture to reach a global audience,” said Kevin Wall, Founder and Executive Producer of Live Earth.

Live Earth London was presented by numerous special guests, including Chris Moyles, Eddie Izzard, Alan Carr, Ricky Gervais, Miranda Richardson, Thandie Newton, Chris Rock, Russell Brand, Rob Reiner, Neve Campbell, June Sarpong, David Tennant and Geri Halliwell.

Special broadcasts were beamed in from former U.S. Vice President Al Gore at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, and also from the British Antarctic Research Station in Antarctica where Nunatak, the band of the British Scientific Team, performed their self-written song “Would You Do It All Again”.

And for those late night revelers, the party is still going on across the pond. A huge beach party is seeing the sun set on Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, while The Police, Kanye West and John Mayer are closing Live Earth with “Message in a Bottle” at Giants Stadium in the New York area.
The 24-hour, 7-continent series of concert events on 7.7.07 have brought together more than 100 artists and 2 billion people to inspire a global movement to ‘Answer the Call’ and help solve the climate crisis.

In addition to providing over 100 simple actions people can take in their daily lives, which will have a tremendous positive impact when carried out on a mass scale, Live Earth is asking people to support a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 and a comprehensive international treaty on global warming by 2009.

“Nations all over the world are making progress in tackling the climate crisis. But too many proposals fall short of the strong, decisive action that’s needed. Individual nations alone cannot solve this crisis. The nations of the world must join together as one if we are to succeed,” said Al Gore, Live Earth Partner and the chair of the Alliance for Climate Protection.

The Live Earth Pledge

I Pledge:

• To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;
  
  
• To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become “carbon neutral;”
  
  
• To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;
  
  
• To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;
  
  
• To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;
  
  
• To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,
  
  
• To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.

Additionally, Live Earth is asking people to commit to making changes at home, at work, while getting around, while shopping, in their communities and to urge changes by their governments. People can make their commitments and find solutions against the climate crisis at www.liveearth.org, www.LiveEarth.MSN.com, or by sending a text message of “SOS” to 82004.

The names of people making commitments and signing the pledge through their computers or mobile phones on July 7th were shown on the Live Earth web site, on the screens at the concerts around the world, and on the global TV broadcasts.

In the UK, people will be able to find out how they can make personal and political changes to combat climate change by visiting one of Live Earth’s two legacy partners, ‘We’re in this Together’ www.together.com or ‘I Count’ www.icount.org.uk.

ABOUT LIVE EARTH

Live Earth is a monumental music event that will bring together more than 2 billion people on July 7, 2007 to combat the climate crisis. Live Earth will stage concerts in New York , London , Sydney , Tokyo , Shanghai , Rio de Janeiro , Johannesburg and Hamburg , and will feature more than 150 of the world’s best music acts – a mix of both legendary music acts like The Police, Genesis, Bon Jovi and Madonna with the latest headliners like Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, Black Eyed Peas and Jack Johnson.

Live Earth’s 24 hours of music across 7 continents will deliver a worldwide call to action and the solutions necessary to answer that call. Live Earth marks the beginning of a multi-year campaign to drive individuals, corporations and governments to take action to solve the climate crisis. Live Earth is partnering with the Alliance for Climate Protection, The Climate Group, Stop Climate Chaos and other international organizations in this ongoing effort. Live Earth was founded by Kevin Wall, CEO of Control Room, the company producing the concerts globally. Former Vice President of the United States Al Gore is the Chair of the Alliance for Climate Protection and a Partner of Live Earth.

Exclusive online media partner MSN is helping Live Earth reach people in every corner of the globe. Live Earth London will be streamed live at http://liveearth.uk.msn.com. MSN’s 39 localized web portals worldwide attract 465 million monthly users.

smart is the world’s only automaker serving as an Official Partner. Unlike any other vehicle, the new smart fortwo combines a modern, individual lifestyle with environmental protection by setting the standard in urban mobility and offering the lowest CO2 emission of any vehicle on the market. smart responds to environmental demands with innovative, technologically sound solutions and as a result produces positive and credible answers to the question of ecological driving.

Philips, as the world’s leading lighting supplier, joins Live Earth as an Official Partner. Philips was the first to introduce the energy saving light bulb in 1980 and has put environmental product improvement at the heart of its business with its EcoDesign program since 1994, increasing its green product range year by year.

Live Earth is partnering with companies on a local level who share the commitment to helping people live a more energy efficient lifestyle. PepsiCo, an Official Partner of Live Earth, is committed to making a difference with eco-friendlier packaging, energy and water conservation and waste reduction. It’s all part of PepsiCo’s commitment to Performance with Purpose — to do better by doing better. Esurance, the direct-to-consumer personal auto insurance company, joins Live Earth as an Official Sponsor and is the latest extension of Esurance’s efforts to conserve energy and preserve the planet’s precious resources. For more than seven years, Esurance policyholders have helped save thousands of trees by buying their auto insurance online and using electronic documents. An official partner of Live Earth, The Absolut Spirits Company, Inc., a subsidiary of V&S Group, produces and markets ABSOLUT® VODKA, Level ™ Vodka, FRÏS® Vodka , Plymouth™ Gin and Cruzan® Rum. The Absolut Spirits Company focuses on reducing the impact on climate change, sustainable agriculture and optimizing use of natural resources as mandated by V&S Group. To view details on the company’s efforts to combat global warming, visit www.vsgroup.com and click on “Corporate Responsibility/Environment.” Intelsat, the leading provider of fixed satellite services worldwide, is the official satellite capacity sponsor to Live Earth, providing the global high definition infrastructure for an unforgettable viewer experience. Intelsat connects the planet to Live Earth through its network of 52 satellites and global terrestrial facilities.

For more information, visit http://liveearth.org or http://liveearth.msn.com.

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Entrepreneurship 2.0, revisited...

A couple weeks ago, we published a flash/video presentation on Entrepreneurship 2.0. We haven't told many people though, yet it does records hundreds of viewings at YouTube and we are starting to receive a stream of feedbacks on it.

It's not just us who are talking about this emerging entrepreneurial concept though. The talk about Entrepreneurship 2.0 or Socialized (Micro) Entrepreneurship (LESS is MORE) has been going on the Web for some time now:-

In May 2007, SiliconIndia Blog published an article by Gunjan (who believes that "entrepreneurship itself is now ready to be taken to the masses, to the "long tail" of the human population, to villages and rural areas, to common folks, who are ready to make a difference for themselves and their environment") that talks at length about Entrepreneurship at where else: India as one of the potentially biggest ICT economies of the future alongside with China and the rest of Asia Pacific and many third world nations, as they join the traditional IT leaders of the US and EU countries.

Gunjan stresses that the idea of "democratized entrepreneurship" is not new:

"People have talked about "Microfinance", "Village Banking", "Banking for the poor", etc. etc. for a decade now. In fact Mohd Yunus even received his "Nobel Prize" in 2006 for his work on Grameen bank in Bangladesh, and other parts of the world. "

The Open Source "Big Social Challenge" endeavor, according to Gunjan is to:

"...help inspire, and help create millions of entrepreneurs in all parts of the world, in remote villages, to uplift rural population, to find that small "fisher woman" who can through smart entrepreneurship can multiply her income by 10x. Or the local artisan, who figures out the game of volumes and distribution to reach out to the demand out there or to the talented village school teacher, who could never reach out of her job, to now creating an educational micro enterprise to change the ways kids learn and grow. I"

Clearly, Gunjan and co have expressed their plan and aspirational executions to redefine Silicon India -- focus on the micro entrepeneurial entities instead of the corporations. Will Malaysia's MDeC consider the similar possibility for Malaysia's landscape for its own ala-Silicon Valley Multimedia Super Corridor throughout the nation? Or should the responsibility and initiatives be in the sole hands of the microworking entities themselves, e.g. Pajamanation Malaysia?

Jeff Corwall, directory of Belmont University Center for Entrepreneurship however seems to prefer hands-off policy of the government and let the people have their own "free market" in response to presidential-hopeful Hillary Clinton's "Innovation Agenda, 1.0" -- one that mentions "E-science initiatives that link Internet-based tools, global collaboration" and "prizes by the government's Office of CyberInfratructure for innovations".

The debate on Gunjan's talk on Entrepeneurship 2.0 and Hillary's high-tech agendas continues...

Meanwhile, folks at Folksonomy.org are having interesting discussions on many Entrepeneurship 2.0 enterprises or folksonomic companies as they'd call them.

If you're wondering whether Entrepreneurship 2.0 has arrived in Malaysia, read these earlier pieces:

• Pajamaworking at home... where in Malaysia?
  
  
• Outsourcing Blogging - it will become a trend!

An epistemology at work, glocally, eh? Welcoming your comments etc...

Do write to us, or post up your comments at myPajamanation Blog on what you think about micro entrepreneurial revolution in Malaysia.